Chapter 146: I Trust You

Chapter 146: I Trust You Inside the restroom, Abigail walked into one of the toilet stalls and sat down on the toilet seat, then she took out the folded letter which Jamal had given to her and unfolded it. Abigail’s lips curved in a smile as she read the first line. [To the Queen of my heart, I tried to write a serious letter clearing the air and stuff. I really did. But my heart and pen had other plans. Every time I tried to sound smooth, it laughed at me. So, here’s the truth... in the only way I know how to say it. Do you know what happens to me when you look at me with those big beautiful hazel eyes of yours? My brain stops working. My legs forget how to walk. My tongue decides to take a nap.] Abigail blinked and read it again, then she laughed softly, her shoulders shaking. She covered her mouth with one hand as she kept reading. [I think you’re sunshine. Not the soft kind that peeks through clouds. No, you’re the kind that shows up after a storm and brightens up everything. I don’t need sugar in my coffee when you’re around, because watching you makes coffee taste better. Your presence makes quiet feel full. Your inner strength and sense of humor are qualities that endear me to you even more.] Abigail pressed a hand to her chest. She was smiling really hard now. Inside the quiet restroom stall, she felt like she was in her own little world. A world where only Jamal existed. And his silly, wonderful letter. [And when you laugh? Oh, my love... even the birds stop singing just to listen. Your voice is my favorite music. I could listen to it all day long. And if I haven’t said it plainly enough yet... here it is: I love you, my Queen. Probably more than I should. Definitely more than I imagined possible. But never more than you deserve. And I want you to know that you never have to worry about my loyalty to you. I didn’t wait faithfully all these years only to misbehave now. I’ll always stay faithful and loyal to you, no matter what, and your happiness remains priority to me. I need you to trust me and know that I would never do anything to hurt your feelings. I love you. Yours, with everything in me. PS I’d like to know more about you through our letters. Tell me all your favorite stuff, and all I need to know. In case you were wondering, my favorite color is the color of your eyes. Lest I forget, will you be my girlfriend?] Abigail paused, a smile tugging her lips. How could he ask her that after everything else he had written? Besides, what sort of question was that? And wasn’t he already referring to her as his wife? Why was he asking her to be his girlfriend now? Abigail shook her head as she continued reading. [Yes. I know the answer is yes. I’ll be your boyfriend, too. Muah!] Abigail giggled at the last line. Silly. Jamal was so silly. She read through the letter again, amused by how disorganized it was, especially the ending part of it. Abigail stayed sitting for a moment longer after she was done reading the letter, smiling as she gazed at the paper. She really wished she didn’t have to discard it. But she couldn’t risk it being seen by anyone else. With a sigh she stood and then tore it into tiny pieces and threw it into the toilet then flushed. She adjusted her clothes, and walked out of the stall slowly. As she returned to her office, she met Jamal by the door as he was also just returning from Ryan’s office. Seeing the smile on her face, Jamal grinned, knowing that she had read the letter. "I’ll be waiting for a response," he whispered with a wink, and she giggled as they both walked inside. Just as Jamal settled down behind his desk, his phone rang, and he smirked when he saw it was call from Stefan. "To what do I owe this honor, Mr Jamal?" Jamal asked dryly. Stefan chuckled, "I’m calling to let you know I arrived safely, Pete." "Oh! I’m so glad you did. For a moment there I thought something happened and you hit your head, hence you lost your memory and forgot to call me," Jamal said, and Stefan laughed again. "I didn’t realize you missed me so much and wanted me to call you first," Stefan teased. "I didn’t realize you missed her so much you’d call her first. Aren’t you taking your job a little too seriously and forgetting that what you both have is not real?" Jamal asked, wanting to hear Stefan’s response to that and see if he would admit or deny it. Stefan was silent for a moment. "You’re right," he said, his tone suddenly serious and apologetic. "I am right?" Jamal asked, his brow raised. "Yeah. I should have called you first. I’m sorry." "Am I also right about you having feelings for her?" Jamal asked, but Stefan did not respond immediately. "I like her. I just like her," Stefan said, and Jamal rolled his eyes. "You like Mari and you like Emily. I have seen the way you relate with them. I saw the way you related with her in the car. It’s not the same. So, no, you don’t just like her. I saw you kiss her at the airport. We both know wouldn’t do that with just anyone..." "I’m sorry," Stefan said with a resigned sigh. Jamal had trusted him and asked him to pretend to be him, and here he was, developing feelings for someone he was deceiving. Someone, who was making a fool of Jamal and all the Hanks. "What for?" Jamal asked with a confused frown. "I know that you don’t like her, especially after all she did to Abigail, and how she has been deceiving everyone this whole time. I don’t expect you or the others to like her. You trusted me to get close to her and I let my feelings get involved. I feel like I’m betraying that trust," Stefan admitted. "Well, I don’t think so. I don’t think your feelings would be involved if there wasn’t something worth liking about her. And I’m also beginning to think she might not be all that bad myself," Jamal admitted. "You think so?" Stefan asked, his voice hopeful. "Yeah. My interactions with her has got me thinking." "Well she’s not so bad. I know she did some pretty bad things, but she knows better now. And I believe with a little push she’d do what is right," Stefan said confidently. "I believe so, too," Jamal said, and Stefan let out a relieved sigh. "I promise not to let my feelings for her get in the way of your plans. If she doesn’t change or refuse to do what’s right, I will let go of her," Stefan promised. "I trust you. I’m not worried about your loyalty. That has never been in question. I just don’t want you to get hurt." Jamal assured him. "Thank you. That means a lot to me," Stefan said, relaxing now. "By the way, she wept a lot after you left," Jamal said, and Stefan’s brows drew together. "She did?" "Yeah," Jamal said, and then went on to tell him how he had taken her to the lounge and sat with her while she drank. "She doesn’t have friends. I guess she’s going to be a bit lonely," Stefan said, feeling sad for her. "Yeah. There’s something I think I should tell you," Jamal said, and Stefan raised a brow. "What?" He asked when he heard the seriousness in Jamal’s tone. Jamal lowered his voice. "While we were at the lounge...." Jamal went on to tell him about the message and the pictures he had seen. Stefan swore under his breath when Jamal was done telling him about it. He felt a surge of anger and protectiveness wash over him like nothing he had ever felt before. Genevieve had experienced something like that as a kid? Stefan frowned when he remembered what Genevieve had told him about being addicted to sex. If she had been molested or sexually abused as a kid, it was possible that was one of the reasons she could have become addicted to sex. "Christ! Who knows how much hell she must have passed through growing up! Don’t you think it is best we check if she is truly his daughter?" Stefan asked after a while. "I’m not sure he is behind it. I told him about it a while ago," Jamal said, telling him about his conversation with Ryan earlier and about the phone call he had heard Genevieve making earlier to someone he suspected was close to her. "Still, don’t you think we should check? I think we should look into her past. For all we know, he could have bought her from child traffickers or something," Stefan said, and Jamal frowned, not liking that line of thought. It would be a very sad and depressing thing if that were the case. "I spoke with Tom about it. He is going to find out who the blackmailer is, and all he knows about her," Jamal assured him. "And the DNA test? Could you please get it done? Do it as a favor to me. Please," Stefan said, and Jamal sighed. "I’m not sure how easy that’s going to be, I mean getting his samples but I’ll see what I can do," Jamal promised. "Thank you," Stefan said, feeling genuinely grateful. "So, how are things going with Abigail?" "Hmm. Good I guess," Jamal said with a sigh. "Guess?" "Yeah. She doesn’t want me getting too close to your girlfriend," Jamal said, and Stefan sighed. "She’s not my girlfriend..." "You kissed her," Jamal reminded him. "And you had sex with a total stranger," Stefan retorted. "Who ended up not being a total stranger totally," Jamal said with a chuckle and Stefan laughed too. After talking for a while, they hung up the call, and Jamal sighed as he opened the drawer to take out the journal Genevieve had talked about. He wasn’t sure how he was going to pull it off, but he was going to have to find a way to get Ryan’s genetic sample.